1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to electromagnetic transducers of the type that may be employed as electro-acoustical drivers for loudspeakers. More particularly, the invention relates to electromagnetic transducers and loudspeakers adapted for extended motor excursion such as may be needed for high output or deep bass.
2. Related Art
An electro-acoustical transducer may be utilized as a loudspeaker or as a component in a loudspeaker system to transform electrical signals into acoustical signals. The basic designs and components of various types of electro-acoustical transducers are well-known and therefore need not be described in detail. An electro-acoustical transducer typically includes mechanical, electromechanical, and magnetic elements to effect the conversion of an electrical input into an acoustical output. For example, the transducer typically includes a magnetic assembly, a voice coil, and a diaphragm. The magnetic assembly and voice coil cooperatively function as an electromagnetic transducer (also referred to as a driver or motor). The magnetic assembly typically includes a magnet (typically a permanent magnet) and associated ferromagnetic components—such as pole pieces, plates, rings, and the like—arranged with cylindrical or annular symmetry about a central axis. By this configuration, the magnetic assembly establishes a magnetic circuit in which most of the magnetic flux is directed into an annular (circular or ring-shaped) air gap (or “magnetic gap”), with the lines of magnetic flux having a significant radial component relative to the axis of symmetry. The voice coil typically is formed by an electrically conductive wire cylindrically wound for a number of turns around a coil former. The coil former and the attached voice coil are inserted into the air gap of the magnetic assembly such that the voice coil is exposed to the static (fixed-polarity) magnetic field established by the magnetic assembly. The voice coil may be connected to an audio amplifier or other source of electrical signals that are to be converted into sound waves. The diaphragm includes a flexible or compliant material that is responsive to a vibrational input. The diaphragm is suspended by one or more supporting elements of the loudspeaker (e.g., a surround, spider, or the like) such that the flexible portion of the diaphragm is permitted to move. The diaphragm is mechanically referenced to the voice coil, typically by being connected directly to the coil former on which the voice coil is supported.
In operation, electrical signals are transmitted as an alternating current (AC) through the voice coil in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the lines of magnetic flux produced by the magnet. The alternating current produces a dynamic magnetic field, the polarity of which flips in accordance with the alternating waveform of the signals fed through the voice coil. Due to the Lorenz force acting on the coil material positioned in the permanent magnetic field, the alternating current corresponding to electrical signals conveying audio signals actuates the voice coil to reciprocate back and forth in the air gap and, correspondingly, move the diaphragm to which the coil (or coil former) is attached. Accordingly, the reciprocating voice coil actuates the diaphragm to likewise reciprocate and, consequently, produce acoustic signals that propagate as sound waves through a suitable fluid medium such as air. Pressure differences in the fluid medium associated with these waves are interpreted by a listener as sound. The sound waves may be characterized by their instantaneous spectrum and level, and are a function of the characteristics of the electrical signals supplied to the voice coil.
The energy transmitted by a speaker to sound waves is a function of the amount of movement of the diaphragm. The movement of the diaphragm is a function of the frequency of sound being transmitted (how frequently the diaphragm changes directions of movement) and the electrical voltage applied to the coil. The range of movement of the diaphragm is a function of the axial movement of the voice coil. This axial movement is often called the excursion.
For a loudspeaker to provide high output or deep bass, the loudspeaker may need a substantial excursion of the voice coil. In this context, an excursion is an axial movement of the voice coil from the position it assumes without electrical stimulus. Voice coils undergo excursions both towards and away from the diaphragm as the alternating electric current in the voice coil interacts with the magnetic field.
Due to higher power handling, dual-coil/dual magnetic gap designs may result in greater motor excursion. While the use of dual-coil/dual magnetic gap designs is advantageous by providing increased power handling, the use of a dual-coil drive motor design with a pair of coil portions (upper and lower) operating in a pair of magnetic gaps can cause extreme distortion, if the coil excursion becomes too great. More specifically, if the coil excursion is too great the upper coil portion may actually travel down into the magnetic gap for the lower coil portion or the lower coil portion may actually travel up into the magnetic gap for the upper coil portion. Either situation leads to extreme distortion.
The risks of such distortion are increased with the use of a thin magnet such as may be obtained with neodymium magnets as the use of a thin magnet reduces the distance between the upper and lower magnetic gaps and the corresponding spacing between the upper and lower coil portions. A need therefore exists for a dual-coil drive motor design (or other configurations using multiple coil portions) to allow such speakers to be used in applications calling for at least occasional performance of large excursions without extreme distortion.
Further, due to high power dual-coil/dual magnetic gap designs, the dual-coil designs generate a large amount of resistive heat which can cause a loss of efficiency and may damage certain components in the loudspeaker. A need further exists for a dual-coil motor design that not only allows for large excursions without extreme distortion, but that also reduces some of the common problems that occur with the generation of resistive heat within a loudspeaker.